Our Letter To The American People

Government is a trust, and the officers of the government are trustees. And both the trust and the trustees are created for the benefit of the people.

- Henry Clay

The above statement by Henry Clay summarizes exactly what the Modern Whig Party and the Whig Philosophy or Whiggery is at its core; service for the benefit of the people. We don’t need to list examples about how our American government at all levels is not acting for the benefit of the people. All Americans paying attention can see the corruption, ineffective leadership, and ideological paralysis that are far too prevalent in today’s government and political system.

Whigs historically arose in England and Scotland in the late 1600’s and believed that the power of government began with and came from consent of the people. This idea would grow over time to influence the founding of America and well into the mid 1800s. The idea that government and its representatives are servants of the people is still alive today in the modern Whigs, and we believe it is still alive in the hearts and minds of the American people.

The current, dominant structure of political representation in America is that of the Democrat and Republican parties and has been for the last 140 plus years. While governing and leading are difficult, and there are different ideas and approaches, it has become abundantly clear that as a whole the Democrat and Republican parties are no longer about effective public service. Instead these parties are focused on maintaining power and pushing forth their ideological views at the expense of reasonable compromise and effective public policy solutions. We are not saying that all Democrats and Republicans are bad or ineffective leaders. What we are saying is that the overall apparatus and leadership of these two parties have become blinded by complacency, seduced by power, and consumed by fighting in an ideological sandbox. They have forgotten the words and message of Henry Clay.

The time has come for the American people to stand up and realize we must take action, that we must make our voice heard, and we must take back the power in the citizen-government relationship. We have all allowed our nation to get into the situation we are now and we all must do our part to make sure our government exists for the benefit of the people. The Modern Whigs are not here so much as to lead, but to partner with you, our fellow neighbors and citizens in this effort. Our goal is to be an organization where your voice, strength, and action are multiplied with that of others all around our great nation. We expect independent thinking and action. We expect people to take a role in government by taking back the power in the citizen-government relationship and we are working on providing a platform where you can make this happen.

You won’t hear any outlandish promises from the Modern Whigs as we work with the American people in this daunting but worthy task. What you will hear and see from the Modern Whigs are citizens and candidates who listen to you, expect you to act and take part in government, and who look not to ideology as a guide to public policy but to research, debate, and collaboration. We will hold ourselves accountable within our organization and in government and we demand that you hold us accountable as well because that is your duty as American citizens.

The Modern Whigs realize that it will take time to earn your trust, but we will work tirelessly to earn it and the honor to serve you in our government. The Modern Whigs don’t just want to govern; we want to inspire you to help us be your voice and action in government. We realize that the strength of America is not the Modern Whigs, the military, or the economy. The strength of America is you, the citizen, and the American people as a whole. The Modern Whigs desire only to cherish and give back to a nation and people that we love, and we will work to serve America to the best of our ability and the best of our humility.